Prep golf: Paeglow leads way as Barbs win first Mark Rolfing Cup

DeKALB – DeKalb golf coach Brad Kerkman recently wrote five goals down for his team.

His squad accomplished three of them in winning the team championship at Monday’s Mark Rolfing Cup at a sloppy, wet Kishwaukee Country Club.

The goals reached included winning Monday’s 10-team home tournament, have three golfers in the top 10 of the event and shoot below 300.

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“We are a good team, but we want to be really good this year,” Kerkman said. “If you’ve got to keep re-evaluating your goals because you’re beating them so quickly, I think that’s a really good sign.”

Jack Paeglow’s under-1 round of 69 won him medalist honors by three strokes as DeKalb carded a 299. James Keck carded a 75, and Danny Franzene added a 76 as both finished in the top 10. Kaneland finished second as a team with 308 strokes, and Sycamore was fifth with a 329.

[Mark Black - for Shaw Media]

“It was a good round today. I didn’t have my best stuff. I was grinding,” Paeglow said. “I hit it out of bounds, and I took an ‘unplayable,’ and then I had one par on the back nine, so it was kind of a grind.”

Keck’s steady round front and back nine of 34 and 35, respectively, came after he refocused on the standards Kerkman set in place.

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“We’re coming together. After last Thursday we knew that we were better than this and coach set up some goals,” Keck said. “We came out here knowing this is our course and we need to take advantage of it.”

DeKalb graduate (Class of 1967) and NBC Golf Channel analyst Mark Rolfing was in attendance in the first tournament at the course named in his honor.

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“Hopefully this is first of many Mark Rolfing Cups,” Rolfing said. “It’s really an honor for me actually to have it named after me,” he said, noting that this was the first time he’d been to Kishwaukee Country Club in about 20 years.

Kaneland’s Matt Stair paced the Knights with his score of 75 for a top-10 finish and tied DeKalb’s Keck for third.

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“He’s becoming much more consistent,” Kaneland coach Mark Meyer said of Stair. “He’s a senior, and I think his game is at a point where he can get it back on track if he doesn’t start it well.”

Sycamore’s David Beaty and Iain Purdom tied for the Spartans’ lead Monday as both earned top-10 spots.

“I think that David’s just an example of what we have as a team right now,” Sycamore coach Dan Wheeler said. “He’s a sophomore playing up on varsity, and we have two or three other kids at the freshman level who are also competing to play on varsity. It’s really pushing our juniors and seniors to be better. Our depth, I think, is something that is going to be our strength this year and going forward.”

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The two goals that the Barbs didn’t reach Monday only are attainable toward the end of the season. They are to have seven players at the state tournament in October and have four players earn All-Conference.

By the numbers: Rounding out DeKalb’s scores were Will Schimbke with a 79, Brett Paeglow with an 82, Derek Olson with an 85 and Allison Yohanan with an 87. Sub-80 scores for Kaneland other than Stair included Ryan Milton (78), Josh Pehl (77), Hagan Rank (78) and Lucas Pehl (78). Sam Faulhaber also added an 82 for Sycamore.

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Beyond the stats: The rain was on and off all day, including during the 18 holes of golf, which ran from about 2:30 p.m. until after 7 p.m.

They said it: “James [Keck] has got a ton of game. Will Schimbke’s got a ton of game,” Kerkman said. “We’ve been struggling for that fourth score and Danny shoots 76 today. He’s got that in him to do that consistently.”

Up next: DeKalb plays at Neuqua Valley on Tuesday. Sycamore hosts Sandwich on Tuesday. Kaneland plays at Rochelle on Tuesday.